BOWLING.

Auckland Star, Volume 55, Issue 94, 21 April 1924, Page 8

BOWLING.

EASTER TOURNAMENT. . MAGNIFICENT WEATHER. (By TRUNDLER.) Up till a late hour last night, when the Easter full-moon shone in an absolutely cloudless sky, it looked as if this holiday was to go "down in the records as tbe finest Easter that even sunny Auckland has ever known. This morning, however, broke dull and threatening, and holiday-makers are fortunate that the clouds so quickly blew away. It seems rather remarkable, after all the experience of years of tournament., that new incidents are continually arising which suggest alterations in the rules and regulations. One that seems to be desirable at Easter is a time limit of some kind. On principle one cannot feel very kindly towards an ordinary time limit, espociallv such an unnecessarily short one as was imposed on competitors in tbe Dominion tournament last year, viz., 1* houra for singles. 21 hours for pairs aud 2. hours for full rinks, and there were such,, general complaints that this year an extra quarter of an hour was added to the pairs and the full rinks. Considering that In the middle of January It is perfectly light In Auckland up to about half-past seven, and that In Christchurch and Dunedin the sun sets about half an hour later in January than it does here, it would surely be wise to allow the longest limit possible—three and --quarter hours—which would still set everything finished in daylight. Bowlers will put up with a good deal rather than hear the bell ring just when they ap. a point down on the 20th head. But at Raster it Is nnite n different nro- | position, especially when Easter Is late, like it is this year. Ou Friday and Saturday every green fonnd people playing in the dark. In some cases they began striking matches to show the jack, while In others they gave it up a» a bad job, and left the last few heads to finish next day. This difficulty did not often arise In tbe old days, when the Easter tournament was confined to pairs, which usually take less time than full rinks, nor has It arisen in any marked degree during the few years that full rinks have been substituted for pairs. The reason is that every Easter since the change was made has been wet. and on a wet green a game takes a quarter to half an hour less than on a keen green. But on Friday and Saturday, after about ten days of the finest weather that could very well bo. Imagined, most of the greens were ns keen as ln summer, especially ln the heat of the day, and the middle game on Saturday ran Into fully three hours In some cases. The Brst and third games would naturally not take quite so long, as the green is not then so keen. Wherp dead heads were the order of the day the delay wa.s very noticeable, and it looks as if the time has arrived to put a limit on them at Easter, for it Is not fair to penalise the rest of the section when they have to wait for an unfinished game. Having regard to the general objection to the usual system of a time limit, and In order to give a defending team a reasonable chance to avert defeat. It would probably meet the case If at Easter a regulation were brought In allowing each side only two dead heads in each match, afterwards every dead head to count a point to the other side. The practical effect of this would be to effectively curtail driving, especially for dead ho. d«. as each side would try to preserve their option of two dead heads, in case they wanted them very badly at the end. A good many clubs have already tried the experiment of limiting dead heads to one to each side In their one-day tournaments with short games, but In the full 21 heads It would probably be found better to allow two, and that would be better than working by the clock. Umpires. . The reversion to the old system of appointing skips as umpires appears to have I been partially successful, In that no glaring l errors have been notice*!, such as marred i the tournaments when less competent umpires. But there are sins of omission that are Jußt as Important as sins of commission, and If our umpires have been successful ln avoiding the doing of those things that they ought not to have done, If Is very clear that ln many cases they have left undone those things that they ought to have done. For instance, the- rules enjoined them to telephone the results of each round to the newspapers, but at the end of the second day only five out of the ten sections were completely recorded. If It w_„» possible for five umpires to carry out this duty corj reetly. the Centre executive will surely ! want to know why the other five could not do it also, except in the case of the section played at St. Hollar's. Competitors know how ' their own section is getting on, but the rule was evidently framed so that they, as well as the ceneral public, should know bow all the sections are progressing. The rules were broken richt and left. and if this Is going to continue It would seem as tf the time has arrived for the governing body to say straight out that competitors may observe them or not, just «s they please. At present they are only stultifying themselves by making rules that they have not provided the machinery f.-r enforcing. A special note reads: "Tl.e rule relating to one foot on the mat will be strictly enforced." It seems a stiff proposition, however, to leave the enforcement of this rule to an umpire who is a competitor, for ho has quite enough to do to look after his own game, without seeing that •ho rest of tli° competitors follow the rule-. This particular rule has been flasranflv broken without the regulation Denalty following, and it look?! as if it is quite impossible to get it enforced by umpires who are competitors, for this year there have been some of the most competent umpires in Auckland officiating. Tbe ii«_t most "ntieeflhle branch is tho old fault of standing over a bead. Over and ever again a director did this, in violation of Rule N. 2. which reads: "As soon as a bowl is greened the director shall retire at least six feet from the jack, in order tb-'f his opponents may witness the play." ' Even worse than standing, some directors squatted over a head, entirely obliteratirie the view from the rest of the | players. Strange to. say. the old fault of] following iip a' bowl is-dying out. for very i little of It was seen this year. However, it is a l>."d rule, and the sooner it is relic iQUsly enforced tbe sooner it will be altered. Tho. breaches of these rules, and any others that may have been observed, cannot very well be charged against the umpires, for they would each require five pairs of. eyes to see all that was going on. It only shows .the difficult position in whicb umpires are placed. Wasting the Umpire's Time. One- thing that seeriis rather . urprjslng Is that the umpires allow themselves to be at the beck and call of everybody iv regard to frivolous measures and line bowls. One of :thcse days an umpire will wake up to the; fact that this incessant measuring is not. his job at all. In the tournament conditions Clause 4 says: "All disputes (other than referred to in'-Clause-2) shall be decided by the umpire." But that cannot be taken to supersede Rule VIII., 7, In tbe Laws of the Came, which says: "The skips shall be the judges of all disputed points, and their decision shall be final, but If unable to agree, tho dispute shall bo. 1 settled by an. umpire." A lawyer may be able to read some other meaning into It! but to nn ordiriary bowler it ran only, mean that when tho measurers cannot agree tbey have to tall m Hie skips, and tin- uiiipiiahns no say in It unless the skips are unable to agree. - The majority of measures are frivolous, and aro only referred to the umpire because the measurer is making a Well-meant efr.o.t to do justice to his side: but if the umpires turned down these calls until the skips did their duty it .would leave them more time to attend to what arc clearly their own duties. Wedding Bells. The members of the Auckland Bowling Club paid their president (Mr. S. Coldicutt) a very neat compliment last week,- when they presented his only daughter with a canteen of cutlery on the eve'of her marriage to Mr. James Cummiiig, of Wellington, son of the Rev. Professor dimming, D.D., of Dunedin. The presentation was made by Mr. W. M. Commons, senior vicepresident, nnd old members are of opinion that the ceremony was unique in the annals of-.tbe club, as they have no recollection of any president's daughter ever having been married befora while her father was in otlicc. Miss Dorothy Coldicutt baa acted as hostess for her father in tho various functions at tiie club since ho became president, -md there will be general regret that for the future her home will be lv Wellington, and not in Anckland. She was married last Wednesday, at St. Andrew's Church; Epsom, by the Rev. Lionel IHarvey. and she will curry to her new home the best wishes p'f her many friends ln the premier club in the city,'as well as of the legion of bowlers who have. such good reason to hold her father in hi;_]i esteem. In addition to many valuable pri-. vate presents,' useful and ornamental,-Miss-' Coldicutt" was the recipient of a travelling rug and suitcase from the Bohemian Orchestra, a silver bread platter from the Ara (1.C.) Royal. Arch Chapter, and a silver ten service from the -staff of the English-and Foreign Piano Agency.